Timothy Kim Annotation #8 12/14/2011 The Persuaders Word Count: 1253
The Persuaders was directed by Barak Goodman and Rachel Dretzin, and aired on November 9th, 2009.
What is the central argument or narrative of the film?
By examining the multibillion-dollar “persuasion industries” of advertising and public relations, the film shows the struggles marketers are facing and the processes marketers are taking to persuade us.
How is the argument or narrative made and sustained? How much scientific information is provided, for example? Does the film have emotional appeal?
The film begins with the question, “how is advertising affecting our lives and the world around us?” While the film tries to answer the question, the film followed the development of Song Company and examined sophisticated market research methods. The second half of the film closely looked at the persuasion practices used in political campaign and advertisement. The film is entertaining and revealing that has strong emotional appeal. Many social scientific data was delivered in the film through interviewing many scholars and experts.
What sustainability problems does the film draw out?
Political and Legal
Frank Luntz is well-known Republican advisor and strategist who has successfully imported the techniques and philosophy of market research into politics. He argues that “it doesn’t matter what you want to tell the public; it’s about what they want to hear.” He believes the key is to heed the public will.
His strategies to select the words that disguise the truth and obscure the issues are now popularly used by politicians trying to get unpopular bills to get approved.
Economic
Advertisement companies are creating more struggle and competitions since the more messages they crate, the more they have to create to reach us. It’s led to a vicious circle of clutter.
Technological
Profiling technology and Acxiom were introduced in the film.
Media and Informational
Since the industry is losing faith in commercial, the industries become part of the programs. For example, “Madison and Vine” is the integration of entertainment with advertising, in a partnership that often begins before a show is even conceived. There are more shows that are dominated by the product placement. In addition, advertisements are now evolved into a form of entertainment, like “webisodes.”
Educational
Many psychologists are trained and studied to understand the consumer’s behavior
Behavioral
Cult-like devotion of the certain brands is evident. The companies realized that consumer has needs to belong and have a meaning. A love mark was example of unique behavior and relationship between customer and the company. Through example of Song, the importance of emotional connection with company has been stressed in the film.
Cultural
Mark Crispin Miller, a Professor of New York University, argues that “once a culture becomes entirely advertising-friendly, it ceases to be a culture at all. It ceases to be a culture worth the name. It has to have the constant mood that shoppers require. There has to be a kind of Muzak playing in the background all the time. Many art works that you are moved by or so attached to are increasingly unlikely when the stuff that’s on TV basically functions to sell products, to sell selling, to sell consumption.”
Ecological
In general, advertisements promote consumption and more consumption leads more waste and pollution.
What parts of the film did you find most persuasive and compelling? Why?
I found out “profile” technology the most persuasive and compelling. The film shows how narrowcasting of politic campaigns develop profiling technology. The technology allows politic campaign to send very directed messages to very small audiences on an ongoing basis anywhere in the country. When I learned that profiles are compiled by computer from demographic data, including exactly what issues the voters were likely to respond to, I couldn’t believe how this was legal and people allowing politicians to do this. However, I understand it was necessary after seeing door to door campaign volunteers, who are equipped with electronic device that can play a short, customized video, which other people were seeing different video messages tailored to their own personal demographic profiles. The study shows that 51% of votes require 20-30 different demographic groups. Therefore, customization according to different demographic groups is necessary. The advantage of narrow casting is that it gives politicians a chance to say things to some people they might not want others to hear.
The story of the Acxiom Corporation of Little Rock, Arkansas, is even more fascinating. They have been stored tons of data, not just your name, address, and phone number, but probably also the catalogs you get, the cars you’ve bought, and maybe even what shoes you wear and whether you like dogs or cats. Acxiom’s information is culled from census data and tax records, those product surveys you answered, and customer records supplied by corporations and credit-card companies that are Acxiom clients. Acxiom sifts all this data to produce lists of target consumers for their clients. Understanding how they provide very narrow market lists and project where people are going, and when they will get there.
What parts of the film were you not compelled or convinced by? Why?
Although I understand that psychology plays significant role in advertisement, I was not compelled or convinced by psychology studies and surveys that were introduced in the film. Dr. Clotaire Rapaille is former psychiatric who worked with autistic children. From his experience, he claimed to figure out hidden desires of consumers. He has a strong belief that consumers are driven by unconscious needs and impulses. The film also showed an example of the strange world of market research where the survey asked people about their emotions associating with eating white bread. I understood that some of their studies are successful and definitely have potentials. However, deep inside of me wants to reject their success. With no strong reason, I was not compelled with the strange world of market research.
What audiences does the film best address? Why?
I believe the film actually address to everyone. The film made it clear that everywhere we go, there is advertisement, the commercial message. The film did not victimize the persuasion industry either. So I believe the film can even reach the people whose job is persuading people.
What could have been added to this film to enhance its environmental educational value?
If the film showed an example of how nonprofit organizations produce their advertisements, it will be easier to understand the goal of the persuasion industry. My major question is that are the industry trying send the message or make profits? The film could show more interesting controversial examples to enhance its environmental education value.
What kinds of action and points of intervention are suggested by the film? If the film itself does not suggest corrective actions, describe actions that you can imagine being effective.
After the half-point of the movie, Correspondent Rushkoff asked the question, “is it really working?” He simply answered that nobody really knows since there isn’t a clear tool that measures the effectiveness of the advertisement. Although film does not suggest corrective actions, the film clearly challenges our role as a consumer. By critically selecting the information the industry is sending out, we must become better consumers.
What additional information has this film compelled you to seek out?
After watching the film, I was wondering if Consumer Reports could be the persuasion. Since Consumer Reports claims that it doesn’t receive any aids or money from the companies, I was convinced that they are not promoting the consumerism but support consumer to be a better consumer.1
The Persuaders
Word Count: 1253
The Persuaders was directed by Barak Goodman and Rachel Dretzin, and aired on November 9th, 2009.
What is the central argument or narrative of the film?
By examining the multibillion-dollar “persuasion industries” of advertising and public relations, the film shows the struggles marketers are facing and the processes marketers are taking to persuade us.
How is the argument or narrative made and sustained? How much scientific information is provided, for example? Does the film have emotional appeal?
The film begins with the question, “how is advertising affecting our lives and the world around us?” While the film tries to answer the question, the film followed the development of Song Company and examined sophisticated market research methods. The second half of the film closely looked at the persuasion practices used in political campaign and advertisement. The film is entertaining and revealing that has strong emotional appeal. Many social scientific data was delivered in the film through interviewing many scholars and experts.
What sustainability problems does the film draw out?
Political and Legal
Frank Luntz is well-known Republican advisor and strategist who has successfully imported the techniques and philosophy of market research into politics. He argues that “it doesn’t matter what you want to tell the public; it’s about what they want to hear.” He believes the key is to heed the public will.
His strategies to select the words that disguise the truth and obscure the issues are now popularly used by politicians trying to get unpopular bills to get approved.
Economic
Advertisement companies are creating more struggle and competitions since the more messages they crate, the more they have to create to reach us. It’s led to a vicious circle of clutter.
Technological
Profiling technology and Acxiom were introduced in the film.
Media and Informational
Since the industry is losing faith in commercial, the industries become part of the programs. For example, “Madison and Vine” is the integration of entertainment with advertising, in a partnership that often begins before a show is even conceived. There are more shows that are dominated by the product placement. In addition, advertisements are now evolved into a form of entertainment, like “webisodes.”
Educational
Many psychologists are trained and studied to understand the consumer’s behavior
Behavioral
Cult-like devotion of the certain brands is evident. The companies realized that consumer has needs to belong and have a meaning. A love mark was example of unique behavior and relationship between customer and the company. Through example of Song, the importance of emotional connection with company has been stressed in the film.
Cultural
Mark Crispin Miller, a Professor of New York University, argues that “once a culture becomes entirely advertising-friendly, it ceases to be a culture at all. It ceases to be a culture worth the name. It has to have the constant mood that shoppers require. There has to be a kind of Muzak playing in the background all the time. Many art works that you are moved by or so attached to are increasingly unlikely when the stuff that’s on TV basically functions to sell products, to sell selling, to sell consumption.”
Ecological
In general, advertisements promote consumption and more consumption leads more waste and pollution.
What parts of the film did you find most persuasive and compelling? Why?
I found out “profile” technology the most persuasive and compelling. The film shows how narrowcasting of politic campaigns develop profiling technology. The technology allows politic campaign to send very directed messages to very small audiences on an ongoing basis anywhere in the country. When I learned that profiles are compiled by computer from demographic data, including exactly what issues the voters were likely to respond to, I couldn’t believe how this was legal and people allowing politicians to do this. However, I understand it was necessary after seeing door to door campaign volunteers, who are equipped with electronic device that can play a short, customized video, which other people were seeing different video messages tailored to their own personal demographic profiles. The study shows that 51% of votes require 20-30 different demographic groups. Therefore, customization according to different demographic groups is necessary. The advantage of narrow casting is that it gives politicians a chance to say things to some people they might not want others to hear.
The story of the Acxiom Corporation of Little Rock, Arkansas, is even more fascinating. They have been stored tons of data, not just your name, address, and phone number, but probably also the catalogs you get, the cars you’ve bought, and maybe even what shoes you wear and whether you like dogs or cats. Acxiom’s information is culled from census data and tax records, those product surveys you answered, and customer records supplied by corporations and credit-card companies that are Acxiom clients. Acxiom sifts all this data to produce lists of target consumers for their clients. Understanding how they provide very narrow market lists and project where people are going, and when they will get there.
What parts of the film were you not compelled or convinced by? Why?
Although I understand that psychology plays significant role in advertisement, I was not compelled or convinced by psychology studies and surveys that were introduced in the film. Dr. Clotaire Rapaille is former psychiatric who worked with autistic children. From his experience, he claimed to figure out hidden desires of consumers. He has a strong belief that consumers are driven by unconscious needs and impulses. The film also showed an example of the strange world of market research where the survey asked people about their emotions associating with eating white bread. I understood that some of their studies are successful and definitely have potentials. However, deep inside of me wants to reject their success. With no strong reason, I was not compelled with the strange world of market research.
What audiences does the film best address? Why?
I believe the film actually address to everyone. The film made it clear that everywhere we go, there is advertisement, the commercial message. The film did not victimize the persuasion industry either. So I believe the film can even reach the people whose job is persuading people.
What could have been added to this film to enhance its environmental educational value?
If the film showed an example of how nonprofit organizations produce their advertisements, it will be easier to understand the goal of the persuasion industry. My major question is that are the industry trying send the message or make profits? The film could show more interesting controversial examples to enhance its environmental education value.
What kinds of action and points of intervention are suggested by the film? If the film itself does not suggest corrective actions, describe actions that you can imagine being effective.
After the half-point of the movie, Correspondent Rushkoff asked the question, “is it really working?” He simply answered that nobody really knows since there isn’t a clear tool that measures the effectiveness of the advertisement. Although film does not suggest corrective actions, the film clearly challenges our role as a consumer. By critically selecting the information the industry is sending out, we must become better consumers.
What additional information has this film compelled you to seek out?
After watching the film, I was wondering if Consumer Reports could be the persuasion. Since Consumer Reports claims that it doesn’t receive any aids or money from the companies, I was convinced that they are not promoting the consumerism but support consumer to be a better consumer.1
Reference1. “Our mission”. ConsumerReports.org. 2011. Web. < http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/aboutus/mission/overview/index.htm>